Not the Cause, But the Man
by HumanTales
Summary: Hagrid gives his loyalty not to causes, but to people.  Specifically, to Albus Dumbledore.  Written for dolorousett for the hpsummergen ficathon.  PreDH.


**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Author's Note:** Beta'ed by the wonderful Rakina.

**Not the Cause, But the Man**

Hagrid sat inside his new quarters in the castle, his head in his hands. No one knew if Hogwarts would be opening again in the fall, and that question haunted him. The last time closing Hogwarts had been seriously considered, Hagrid had been unfairly expelled. Not that he hadn't broken the rules, but he hadn't done what he'd been suspected of.

This time, at least, the Head of Hogwarts had no intention of casting him out of the school. "Hagrid, whether the school opens this September or not, it will open again. In the meantime, the grounds need to be kept in good order, the animals cared for, and I suspect there will be special errands I will need you to run. You are a valuable member of the Hogwarts staff and I couldn't bear to lose you." Hagrid had stood straight and tall and had assured Headmistress McGonagall that she could rely on him. Her thin smile had said she had never questioned it.

He would care for the grounds of the great Wizarding school. He would also do whatever the Order needed him to do—not that they'd had much for him to do since his failed attempt at bringing the giants to their side. Hogwarts, the Order, they'd been important to Professor Dumbledore; he would do whatever he could to take care of them. He'd take care of Grawp, too; his brother needed him. That thought perked him up a bit; Grawp did need him. He gave a huge sigh and stood to put the kettle on.

He was considering what he should do that evening as he drank his tea when there was a knock on his door. He stood and let Headmistress McGonagall in, looking a little harassed. "Hagrid, I need your help."

"Certainly, Headmistress. What can I do fer yeh?"

"It's Mr. Potter." She sighed and looked around his room, a scowl on her face. "We knew this summer was likely to be a bit, well, problematic, but we didn't expect things to unravel quite this quickly." She sighed, shaking her head just a bit. "We want to put some additional wards on the Burrow before we let him go there. While we're doing that, could you keep an eye on him? He's . . . rather determined to take off on his own."

"D'yeh need me ter get him from the Dursleys?" Hagrid asked. He wouldn't mind giving the Dursleys another piece of his mind.

"No, Potter took care of that quite nicely on his own. He's just down the hall. Do you mind?"

Hagrid smiled. "Not at all, not at all."

McGonagall smiled, looking relieved. She opened the door and called, "Mr. Potter. Can you come here, please?"

Harry walked into the room a moment later. His mouth was set in a thin line, but his voice was calm. "Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate your not sending me back there. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not for now, Mr. Potter, although I do have a few ideas for later." She nodded to both of them. "Gentlemen, enjoy your afternoon."

When the door closed, Harry shook his head before looking at Hagrid. "Hi, Hagrid," he said with a small smile. "How's Fang?"

Hagrid smiled. It was just like Harry to worry about a man's dog. "He's doin' well. Jus' needs plenty of rest. How abou' yerself?"

Harry shrugged. "Look, Hagrid, I know Professor McGonagall expects you to keep me here, but there are things I have to do. Will you let me go or do I have to fight you?"

Hagrid looked at the boy. He was standing straight and tall, his shoulders back, his chin up, his eyes calm and determined. No, not a boy anymore. Harry was a man and would do what he had to do. Still, Hagrid had as much as told the Headmistress that he'd keep Harry here. "Can yeh tell me why?"

"No," Harry started to say, but then he stopped for a minute, looking at Hagrid through narrowed eyes. "Dumbledore trusted you, completely," Harry said, not to Hagrid so much as to himself. "And he knows you were my first friend, ever, even if Ron is my best friend. I reckon he'd understand if I told you." His voice strengthened a bit; he was now talking to Hagrid. "If I tell you why I have to go, you can't tell anyone else. Not Professor McGonagall, not anyone else in the Order, nobody. Can you promise me that?"

Hagrid looked at Harry, humbled by the trust in those bright green eyes. The only other eyes he'd ever seen that level of trust in had been bright blue behind half-moon glasses rather than Harry's round ones. They'd had that trust for Hagrid when his father had invited the Transfiguration professor to their home to ask that Hagrid be allowed to attend Hogwarts, even though he was half-giant.

Those eyes had still been filled with trust when Hagrid was expelled for keeping dangerous, illegal creatures. Professor Dumbledore had taken Hagrid aside after Headmaster Dippet had broken his wand with those terrible words, "It's no more than I would expect of someone with giant blood. Too bad we can't prove that monster killed that poor girl." Dumbledore had handed Hagrid his handkerchief and then, when the first was wringing wet, a second one. He'd arranged for Hagrid to apprentice with the groundskeeper so he wouldn't have to leave Hogwarts. He'd even given Hagrid a pink umbrella. "No one will think there's anything to worry about if it's pink," he'd said. "And, look, the handle's hollow. You can store all kinds of things there." He'd never dared ask Dumbledore if he'd intended for Hagrid to keep the broken pieces of his wand, but he'd always thought that was Dumbledore's intention.

Dumbledore had never wavered in his trust of Hagrid, but Harry hadn't either, had he? He smiled a bit remembering the scene when Dumbledore had been trying to cheer him up and Harry, Ron and Hermione had been pounding on his door. Those three . . . "Yeh're not goin' on your own, are you?" he asked Harry sternly. "Yeh're takin' Ron an' Hermione with yeh, aren' yeh?"

Harry grimaced. "Not like they're giving me much of a choice. And Dumbledore did tell me I could tell them, just nobody else. I think he'd agree that I should tell you. You might even be able to help with some of it."

Bright eyes. Trust when everyone else believed that a family that wasn't respectable meant you couldn't be. Willing to break the rules to help a friend; it had been Harry and his friends that had helped him get Norbert to safety. He'd kept Dumbledore's secrets; keeping Harry's was no different. Two great wizards, two great men, both of whom thought Hagrid was good. Hagrid could feel his chest puff out. "I promise. The Headmistress is gonna be pretty angry, though."

One half of Harry's mouth twitched up. "Yeah. I'm not looking forward to the telling off she'll be giving me when I see her again. Here it is. In order to keep himself from dying, Voldemort created these things called Horcruxes . . ."

Fin


End file.
